Demolition of the former Washington Commons mall, which closed six years ago, began last month to clear the way for downtown redevelopment.

Officials toured the mall's interior to survey the demolition's progress and to catch one final glimpse of the remnants of what originally was known as Port Plaza Mall.

In an area commonly known as Center Court when the mall was open, crews had yet to knock down a glass elevator, an escalator, an overhead skylight and many teal-colored fixtures.

Crews expect to complete the interior demolition by next month, then knock down the exterior walls and have the property cleared by June.

Schreiber Foods Inc. plans to spend $50 million transforming the site into a new corporate headquarters and technology center that will employ 500 people.

Mayor Jim Schmitt said other communities with shuttered downtown malls are stuck with empty buildings. In contrast, he said, the redevelopment will bring renewed energy and economic activity to the central business district.

"It's time to turn the page," Schmitt said. "We couldn't have asked for a better next chapter."

Opened in 1977, the mall prospered throughout the 1980s and '90s as a shopping center and community landmark. But changing consumer habits and new suburban malls eventually led to the closure of the downtown attraction in 2006.

Mirkes said the demolition marks the end of a "life cycle" that included the mall's successful heyday.

"Many people earned their living in this building," he said. "The mall, economically, did its part."